spir-i-tu'-ni-ty: spiritual opportunities which call us to grow, create, and self-express on the authentic path; where spirit and opportunity meet

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Beneath the Veil

Today is day 2 of 29 Days of Spiritual Messages.
In our reading for truth, know that we are not seeking "the answer" that will explain the world to us, nor provide us with a patent for bliss. Instead, let us seek those things that bring meaning into our lives, making our own stay on this earth more interesting.

Our reading for today comes from the musical group Zingaia, a trance dance world music group whose sound is a blend of techno tribal beats, electronica, and sensuous female vocals. The result is exotic and hypnotic.

This piece is called "Beneath The Veil." Click here to listen. Click on track number 6. It's a nine-and-a-half minute journey; the music can be used while meditating. The lyrics come in at approximately the four-minute mark.

So get comfortable and follow along (it's better with headphones).

"I am the first breath in crystalline space. Like the starry heavens,My body arches in ecstasy around the secret center of the Sun.Through the circling of the spheres shall you come to know me.For I set the star of truth upon thy brow.

I am a paradise of deep wilderness,The soul of Nature and Mother of the Earth.Fragrant and fertile is my body,Touch me in the petals of every sweet blossom.

Through abundance shall you come to know me.For I am thy oasis, pouring forth the waters of life.I am in the heart that rejoices,And in the body dancing forth the essence of immortality.

Mine are the sighs of passion and also the cries of birth.Feel my presence in the pulse of thy centerThrough desire shall you come to know me, my Beloved,For I ignite the Sacred Fire..."

Who is the "I am" in the opening line and repeated throughout? What do you notice about the language used? How does the language and imagery make you feel?

We start with an air of mystery. Someone is addressing us in an unusual fashion. Normally, when we meet someone, that person introduces him- or herself by giving us a name so that we know who it is. Here, we are not given specifics, only the strange metaphor "I am the first breath in crystalline space." And so I respond with "I am intrigued." There is something very alluring about this person, something attractive.

The celestial language tells us that this "person" is otherworldly; it has given life by being this "first breath." This is the Source of All Life. Just as the heavenly bodies circle the sun, this Source knows with certitude that we, too, shall come to know it, for it has "set the star of truth upon [our] brow." This star, this light, is what will navigate us. We have a divinely designed built-in homing device.

Not only is this Source ethereal; it is earthly as a "paradise of deep wilderness," something that is everywhere but can never be contained or tamed. It goes even deeper than the surface of the physical and the natural; it is "soul" and "mother." Source gives life; it is Creator, it is "fertile" and ripe, ready to create and creating at all times. All we need to do is to follow it's imperative when it tells us, "Touch me in the petals of every sweet blossom." Source wants, even commands, our attention. One touch and a whole new world is explodes into being.

Source moves on to establish a second time that we will come to know it "through abundance" for it is our "oasis, pouring forth the waters of life." Source, as an oasis, is our refuge; it gives us rest and sustenance, where we may grow strong. Here, we find that Source is within us, "in the heart that rejoices, and in the body dancing forth the essence of immortality." The heart is a place of love; Source is the eternal state of love, dynamic and ever-flowing, moving fully in us in grace and joy.

Photo Courtesy Google Images

Finally, Source lifts the veil and reveals that not only is Source our center, but it is "the pulse of [our] center;"it is closer than our next breath, and it is our very existence. Source again speaks in the imperative when it tells us to "Feel my presence," and as we do, it reminds us for the third time that "through our desire" shall we come to know Source, for Source is what ignites the "Sacred Fire." And then as our desire awakens and intensifies, we come to know our relationship with this Mystery when it addresses us directly and personally as "my Beloved." Source has always been and always will be with us, in us, living and breathing through us as One.

Through these lyrics we see the progression or the evolution of our relationship with Source. What starts enshrouded in Mystery as something seemingly far away, unknown, and disconnected blossoms into a deeply personal, intimate, passionate love affair with Spirit.

10 comments:

Beautiful and entrancing!This reminds me when I took part in a SHAKTI "trance dance" where other conscious women joined for deep nourishment in a sacred circle to affirm, expand and celebrate the Divine Feminine. I don't know why your message tonight reminds me of this experience but it is truly beautiful.

Imagine the whirling dervishes and the trance dance they get into as they affirm and celebrate the Divine. They are amazing to watch.

We see trance dances in many traditions and cultures. I think the energy of it puts us in "the zone," a vortex, if you will, that raises our vibration like none other. It takes us away to another realm.

Hmm, maybe part of your exercise series could include some kind of activity like the Shakti trance dance...

I once read some where that when you question things its because of some kind of low self esteem ....I'm not sure if this is true...who knows...but what I do know is that its good to question things n its ok to question things...its ok ...n its makes us grow spiritual ....What I feel thru the song...well for me it seem like its searching for. something ....n at the end of the song it seems like it all comes together n its releasing .....like it let it go n give it to the spirit...Bless n love my froend

That's interesting. I've never heard that questioning things is because of some kind of low self-esteem, unless it was written by someone who has not evolved spiritually or who suffers from a strong need to control others. I've always heard that there are no stupid questions, so ask.

Our spiritual journey often begins with questions, ones that surface from deep within that really are clues and nudges to get us moving in a different, better direction. Questions become our guides on our journey.

Dearest Penny, I just love this new series. My parents have been visiting and I am just catching up with your posts so haven't had time to fully absorb the messages in this, but I can already tell it is deep and powerful. The words and music are profound and for me, sum up the journey we go on when we first step on to the 'spiritual path'. It's all a big mystery, and gradually the veils lift, sometimes for a tantalising glimpse before they waft back down, other times they get ripped away to reveal a bit more. It's all a fantastic journey and I love it all. Thanks for another inspiring post.

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Penny McDaniel is a spiritual teacher, educator, theologian, and author/writer even though she finds titles limiting. She believes life is filled with what she calls "spiritunities", spiritual opportunities that call us to growth, creativity, and self-expression.